Many high-profile Pennsylvania employment disputes have centered on harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination and other forms of mistreatment. In many cases, these disputes boil down to a problem with wages.
Addressing wage disparity has long been an objective of employee advocates and legislators. Recently, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the Equal Pay Law. For employees and employers alike, understanding what the law entails is key to making sure it is followed. If it is not, it might be necessary to weigh legal options.
Understanding the Equal Pay Law
The law is designed to prevent employers from committing wage discrimination. Workers would also have greater protection from being retaliated against by enhancing the financial penalties employers would face for violating the law if employees are terminated or discriminated against after complaining about violations.
Another feature of the law is the requirement that employers inform prospective employees of the level of compensation they would receive once the job is advertised. One lawmaker who sponsored the bill stated that gender-based wage discrimination is especially a problem for working mothers. Statistically, they only receive 70% of what a working father receives in pay. This frequently leads to women not even bothering to seek employment because of the costs associated with it.
There is opposition to this bill from business-centric entities. They believe that the new law is unclear and could leave employers who are not intending to do harm vulnerable to accusations of wrongdoing and legal claims.
Employees and employers should prepare for the major change
This bill is not yet law and must head to the Senate. Still, any significant alteration in the law regarding discrimination, wages and other issues that come up in any work-related scenario need to be scrutinized from every perspective. When workers have been subjected to illegal behaviors in the workplace – regardless of what it entails – it is essential to understand current and possible future employment laws and what options are available to recover for what was lost.